


Comfort Zone

by Xenafox



Category: Tiger & Bunny
Genre: Friendship, Gen, M/M, Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-18
Updated: 2015-05-18
Packaged: 2018-03-31 03:13:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3962290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xenafox/pseuds/Xenafox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Antonio has a pretty serious issue to bring up to Kotetsu, and it’s not something Kotetsu really wants to hear. Ah, relationships.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Comfort Zone

“You could have written anything. Literally anything at all, something clever or something meaningful. Instead you wrote ‘smells like Bison’.”

“You do sorta smell. Hey!” Kotetsu jumped out of Antonio’s range as he friend took a swipe at him from his chair. “I’m being honest with you!”

Antonio glared but didn’t go off anymore. Instead he sighed and leaned his arm on his work desk. It was incredibly clean but only because he rarely sat at it. His company never seemed to assign him much paperwork or desk work in general. Kotetsu was jealous. 

He however was not jealous of Antonio’s reason for being deskbound. Propped up at a strange angle next to his desk was his leg, covered in a big white cast. He’d broken it while trying to help someone out of his suit. He succeeded and when the ambulance showed up he had rightly smiled and said ‘you should see the other guy’, but it was a blow. 

Unfortunately for him, he could not heal up like Kotetsu and Barnaby. Even more unfortunately, he needed his paycheck so some work had been found that he could do at his computer, so he couldn’t even rest at home. 

After his initial pity, Kotetsu had taken to teasing and what would have been cruel ridicule had it come from anyone else. He did care for his friend though, and Antonio knew that. “So, what have they got you doing here anyway?” he asked. He was happy to visit Antonio even if it meant skipping out on his own work. And he was even happier to write odd things on his cast. 

“Oh, some advertising nonsense. They want me to do some reviews, basically. It’s pretty mind-numbing. But I gotta do something.”

“Is your financial situation really that bad?” Kotetsu asked. He hadn’t been to Antonio’s place in a while, but last time he was there he seemed okay. Full fridge. Clothes not falling apart and the ability to go to the bar. Though to be honest, Kotetsu hadn’t been to the bar with him in a long time either. 

Antonio clicked his mouse on the screen, opening up a video depicting some teens partying about…something. It didn’t seem like a terribly focused ad. “Nah. But I don’t want it to be. I don’t make as much as you two do, so if I miss too much…”

“What about compensation for your injury? Talk to the company!”

“It happened outside of work. I could go after the guy I had to beat up, but that could be a process and stuff is currently happening now to ensure he doesn’t release my identity. Too much of a hassle.”

Kotetsu nodded. He understood that. But none of it seemed fair, and he leaned on the desk. “Well, anyway, how you going to keep busy outside of work? You can’t go to the bar due to your pain meds, right?”

“I haven’t been to the bar in a few weeks.”

Kotetsu blinked. Was he really talking to Antonio? “What, for real? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, but it’s been a little boring. Ivan tags along sometimes to play darts, and Nathan will come sometimes too. But it’s getting kinda old.”

“The bar getting old for you!?” Kotetsu blinked again, and then laughed. “Ha ha ha! Okay, that’s rich!”

Antonio sat back from his computer and studied Kotetsu for far too long. His eyes traveled over Kotetsu’s face before they locked gazes, and Kotetsu felt a little uncomfortable. Why was Antonio looking at him like that? He didn’t like it. Anyone other than Barnaby looking at him was weird anyway. He turned away, wishing he still wore a hat so he could pull it down. 

That was when Antonio said something. “When was the last time you went to the bar?”

“Uummm…” Kotetsu stroked his beard. “It was…wow. You know, I can’t remember.”

“When did you last have a drink?” 

“A couple of nights ago. I don’t drink so much anymore, why?”

“Where were you and what were you doing?”

“Sitting around with Bunny! I think we were watching a movie but I wasn’t paying much attention.”

“That’s why you don’t know what’s going on.”

“Eh?”

Antonio turned his chair, making him move his leg. He made a face that indicated it really hurt and Kotetsu reached to gently grasp the cast and help him direct his leg. He saw annoyance flicker in Antonio’s eyes, but he didn’t stop until he had his leg propped again in his new position. 

“Kotetsu, you never really know what’s going on anymore. All you do is stay with Barnaby.”

“We’re a little bit married,” Kotetsu said as he began to immediately feel defensive. 

“Yea. I was at the wedding. You don’t have to talk down to me,” Antonio snapped. “But I’m serious. You don’t hang out anymore or really know what anyone is up to.”

“I see you guys all the time!” It was true! He saw the other heroes all the time at work and at events and hadn’t they all been to parties at Nathan’s? Those were always kind of dangerous though. The last time, underpants were found on Keith’s head and no one knew who they had come from. Nathan insisted he’d never seen them before. 

Antonio rubbed his forehead slowly. He looked like he was trying not to blow up, which was unusual. Antonio was usually a calm guy and after their trouble-making days in school he’d been a rock Kotetsu leaned on every now and then when he couldn’t handle himself. That is, until Tomoe and he got married…oh. 

Then Antonio went on. “You see us every day, but do you know what we’re up to? You know some things because we’re loud about them – EVERYONE knows about Keith’s new puppy.”

“He brought him to work. Of course everyone knows.”

“Mmm,” Antonio grunted. “Did you know Pao-Lin’s grandfather is sick?”

“He is!? No, I didn’t.”

“Did you know Ivan is moving to a new place?”

“I didn’t! Here in the city?”

Antonio nodded. “Well, yes, of course. And did you know Nathan has been chatting up a guy online and is planning on meeting him soon?”

“…No…”

“They’re little things, for the most part – her grandfather will be okay – but you don’t know them. You don’t know a lot of things.”

Kotetsu was staring at him, turning over the information in his head. Okay, he didn’t know. Was that so bad? He never knew what was going on in the lives of all his friends and there wasn’t anything wrong with that. However, as he thought about it, he started to realize…he had no idea what anyone was really up to. Even if he talked to them every day, he hadn’t remembered if they had mentioned anything he should have really remembered. 

For a moment he felt a little powerless, and then full guilt. “But, they know they can all tell me anything…anytime,” he said, somewhat weakly. 

“No one really doubts that you care about them.” Anrtonio reached for a glass of water he had on his desk and then tried to reach his bottle of pills. Kotetsu grabbed them for him and handed them over. “Thanks. Leg is throbbing.”

“I kinda figured that out.”

“Yea, yea. Well anyway, it’s not that we think you don’t care, or that we don’t trust you. Just, everyone is hyper aware that…your life has kind of become about Barnaby.”

“What!?” His life was more than that! 

“It was understood when you first started dating, and even as it became even more serious. Sometimes too you still would hang out and all that. But you kind of settled into your married life, sort of like you did with Tomoe, but you seem even more unreachable now.”

A little bit anger spiked through Kotetsu. What, was he not allowed to focus on his relationship!? Barnaby was very important to him! “And, there’s a problem with my married life being my main focus?” he asked, his voice raised. It’s not that he didn’t get what they were talking about. But he couldn’t help being unhappy about it. 

“It’s not that! It’s that, it’s all you’re focused on and we all feel that distance. We kind of like you Kotetsu. All of your friends. We want some of your time and attention, too.”

“That’s selfish,” Kotetsu spat out, immediately feeling bad for it. 

“Yea, well, we’re selfish then,” Antonio said with a shrug. 

“Like I said, I see you all every day!”

“Yea but you’re not really invested in the time you do spend with us! And you never see any of us alone outside of work! I stopped bothering asking you to hang out!”

“Yea well…!” Kotetsu growled in frustration, wanting to immediately say something about that, but he had nothing. Sort of. “We invite you over!”

“Yea. ‘We’. And I always have to go there. You stopped being an ‘I’ and just became a ‘we’.”

“I…” He was enraged. And he felt like an asshole. Kotetsu wanted to shout or scream or just leave, but he couldn’t get himself to do any of it. He couldn’t even shake with rage! Antonio was right, but he wasn’t being fair!

Antonio regarded him silently before speaking again. “I kinda get it. You love Barnaby, you have always wanted someone to fill that hole you never wanted to admit to having and now that he’s there, you want every waking moment with him. And it’s worse since Tomoe died,” he said, his voice hushed. Kotetsu guessed he felt bad for bringing that up, even if he really shouldn’t. “Of course you don’t wanna let go of him. But, well, we miss you.”

“I see.” 

“I miss you,” Antonio said, and the words seemed forced. It wasn’t that they sounded dishonest, but like it was tough for him to admit it. 

And that started to calm the anger Kotetsu had felt growing inside. He had been even more distant with everyone, hadn’t he? He had opened up to them a little more for a brief time, but all his love, trust, everything was with Barnaby. Barnaby only had the heroes as friends and not his own network so he was content to spend time with Kotetsu and friends, or just Kotetsu. Not that he made Kotetsu do any of that either. 

They’d just sunken into a comfort zone. And neither of them cared. And worse, it only troubled him when it was brought to his attention that everyone was upset. Otherwise, he didn’t care. He loved it. 

“I…”

“I don’t expect it all to change, or at least not right away. I don’t even know if you realized it.”

“Not really…I guess I just didn’t….”

“Mmmhmm.”

“Sorry.”

“I’m not really mad,” Antonio said, and then there was a knock on the office door. Kotetsu studied the hard wood of the desk as Antonio yelled for the person to come in. 

It turned out that their visitor was Barnaby. It was Barnaby carrying a few bouquets of flowers he could barely see over, and some cards. “The other heroes sent there. The massive thing of roses is from Nathan,” Barnaby said, somehow making his way to Kotetsu who started taking things from his arms to place on the desk. 

“All of this is from them?” Antonio asked, looking surprised, and then happy. “No one has ever sent me flowers!”

“This is from us.” Barnaby handed Antonio a gift certificate to a very expensive steak place. Antonio’s eyes got wide as plates. 

“Wait, when did we get that?” Kotetsu asked quietly, but his partner gave no answer. He probably picked it up just before and decided it would be from both of them…from an ‘us’ instead of ‘me’. Maybe before the conversation he wouldn’t have minded, but he knew he had to make a point of getting Antonio a get-well present that was from him and him only. 

“Woah. This is way too much. Thank you!” Antonio said, looking up at Barnaby. 

“You’re welcome – hey. Did Kotetsu write that!?” Barnaby asked, and pointed at the message Kotetsu had written on the cast. 

Kotetsu chuckled. “Nope. Wasn’t me. Deeefinitely not.”

“Kotetsu!” Barnaby snapped, but there was a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He searched the desk and picked up the sharpie Kotetsu had used. “Well, I’m going to write a message too,” he said, leaning over Antonio’s leg. 

Kotetsu just watched while he thought about everything they had talked about. Yea, he had been wrapped up in nothing but Barnaby for a very long time. He didn’t want his friends to resent him, or worse, resent Barnaby for it. He had to change it. 

The guilt was crushing at the moment, too. He wanted to go home he realized. Just go home and not be a failure to anyone, though by doing that he would fail even WORSE – no, no he had to push those thoughts away. He HAD to. But he really did feel like a big jerk. Why would they even want him around…?

Barnaby stood back up and tossed the marker lightly on the desk. The new message on the cast read: ‘You smell like a man, Kotetsu is an idiot’. Antonio laughed. “That he is, Barnaby, that he really, really is.” 

“At least he’s my idiot,” Barnaby said and leaned over to kiss Kotetsu’s cheek. 

Somehow that little, possessive remark made Kotetsu feel even worse. “ Haha. Why’d you end up delivering everything, Bunny?”

In a brief second, Barnaby shot him a look that said he gathered something was wrong. Oh, God, there was going to be a talk later. 

“I came to collect Kotetsu. We’re needed at a meeting, I’m very sorry to say.”

“Don’t be sorry, you can’t help that. He’s annoying, anyway,” Antonio said, waving Kotetsu off and giving him a smirk. 

“Hey now!” Kotetsu snapped. But he was glad in that moment for a way out of there. 

“He’s very annoying.” Barnaby took his hand. “So, it’s time for him to go annoy someone else so we can get out of that meeting sooner, huh?”

“I do what I do,” Kotetsu said, trying to sound funny but it fell a little flat. 

“Right. Come on then,” Barnaby said as he gave his hand an insistent little tug. 

“Yes Bunny I know! See ya later, okay man?” he said, waving at Antonio. “I’ll uh, give you a call later.”

“I’d appreciate that,” Antonio said with a little nod of his head. “Get going so you’re not late, and we’ll talk later!”

“Right!” Kotetsu replied and let himself be pulled along. 

As happy as he was for a reason to leave, he still felt bad. And knowing he’d have to tell Barnaby about it later almost made it worse even if he knew he would be understanding. For the first time in a long time, Kotetsu had a very full and happy life and someone to wake up to every morning. But he knew without his friends it would empty, even if he didn’t talk to them much…

Well. He’d just have to fix that.


End file.
